Sundays only: Hillhurst Sunnyside Flea Market

Visiting one of Calgary’s weekly flea markets

If you sleep in, you might miss snagging a sweet deal. Every Sunday in a little community centre just off the main strip in Sunnyside, from 7:00am until 3:00pm, numerous vendors setup tables to sell all kinds of wares at cheaper prices than you’d expect to buy them for. The Hillhurst Sunnyside flea market has been taking place for years, and it’s one of those hidden gems you only hear about from friends. Crafts, furniture, video games, jewelry, toys, books, nick nacks and probably some paddy wacks too are what’s in store.

Want to book a table to sell some stuff? You can do that too. 1 table is $25.00, 2 tables are $50.00 and 3 tables are $62.50. Call Bonnie at 403-283-0554 ext 231 and leave a message. Legend has it Bonnie only checks voicemail and returns calls on Wednesdays and Sundays. Get the full details on that here.

Hillhurst Sunnyside Flea Market in Photos

Dropped by recently bright and early with a friend to see what treasures I could find. I was sort of looking for fishing gear, video games for the kid, and Montreal Canadians memorabilia. Stuff for random presents. This flea market is a great place to find stuff like that.

The gymnasium is where most of the tables are, however if you keep exploring the building, you’ll find them setup in a secondary room, the hallways, backrooms, everywhere.

In addition to the tables and wares is a small cafeteria for people to chill out and talk at. They sell coffee and snacks I think? I usually walk over already drinking a coffee, so I’ve never actually purchased anything from it. I’ve seen a vendor selling falafels.

One thing to keep in mind about the HillHurst Sunnyside Flea Market – it’s not a farmers market. I mean, someone could buy up a table and sell veggies and stuff I suppose, but I’ve never seen that happen. Don’t drop by expecting there to be foods to buy up for later.

It used to be, video games were sometimes found at the flea market, but they were random NHL96 or baseball types. These days, that has changed. Multiple people sell nothing but video games. There’s NES, SNES, N64, and looooots of Xbox/Playstation stuff available. Prices vary between vendors too. For example, I saw Skyrim on Xbox 360 for $5 at one table. $20 at another. It really pays to shop around and take your time browsing.

There was even an NES Classic available for purchase. The guy wanted $300 for it. Considering that Nintendo no longer makes these, that’s kind of reasonable. It’s a lot of cash, but these babies are still in big demand.

The thing with flea markets such as this one, generally nothing is organized. You’ll see all sorts of random things on a table together – unless it’s a specific vendor, like video games or records or books. The HillHurst Sunnyside Flea Market isn’t huge, but I’d suggest spending at least 60 to 90 minutes to browse. Also? Bring cash. Yes you can usually haggle too. This might be one of the best places to do it too, everyone is friendly and approachable.

There is an ATM on site if you do forget to bring cash. Nobody accepts debit or credit cards. It’s a flea market.

Pez, beer steins, statues and Worf lunchbox heads all on the same table. You get the idea. Expect the unexpected as they say.

Check out those sweet tin can table legs.

There are numerous tables with dishes and ornaments and things for grandma.

Make sure to check under the tables too. Need some old rusty wheels for a garden project or something? They’ll hook you up. Something else to consider; towards the end of the day, people will be a little more.. willing to part with their goods for cheaper prices. I’ve even heard of them giving away stuff for free, as they don’t want to have to pack everything back home.

Admission is free. Parking can be a bit of a challenge, so arrive early. Attend weekly because inventory changes. It’s a wonderful community thing and you really should go at least once.

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